{"id":1980786,"date":"2026-06-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980786"},"modified":"2026-06-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:00:00","slug":"cacti-and-clouds-glitch-in-alexis-matas-fantastical-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980786","title":{"rendered":"Cacti and Clouds Glitch in Alexis Mata\u2019s Fantastical Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1371\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-6.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Sky Is Falling\u201d<br \/>\n(2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters. All images courtesy of Thinkspace, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Cacti and Clouds Glitch in Alexis Mata\u2019s Fantastical Landscapes<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-06-09T11:32:00-05:00\">June 9, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F06%2Falexis-mata-glitch-landscape-paintings%2F&amp;title=Cacti%20and%20Clouds%20Glitch%20in%20Alexis%20Mata%27s%20Fantastical%20Landscapes\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"474759\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere was a moment when I was walking between forests and mountains in Tepoztl\u00e1n, Mexico, while dandelions floated across my face,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexis-mata.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alexis Mata<\/a> says. \u201cIn that instant, I experienced a strange sensation, as if I were standing on another planet, in another time, confronted with an entirely new landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the dainty seeds drifted through the air, Mata began to think about the ways life forms travel and embed themselves in new ecosystems. He was drawn to the idea of landing, of rooting and growing, which quickly became the basis for a poetic exhibition at <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkspaceprojects.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thinkspace<\/a> in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-8.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cLost Landing\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 x 160 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cLost Landing\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 x 160 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cLost Landing\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 x 160 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1482\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-8.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474847\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cLost Landing\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 x 160 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Titled <em>Lost Landing<\/em>, the show features Mata\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/alexis-mata\/\">glitched landscapes<\/a> in which familiar terrain appears otherworldly. Plants, skies, and stones slide into a sort of visual <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Glissando\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">glissando<\/a>, overlapping and converging in abstracted forms. \u201cLanding functions as a metaphor for discovery, but also for reconnecting with the creative impulse and with the capacity for wonder,\u201d the artist adds.<\/p>\n<p>Dandelions gone to seed appear in several works, alongside cacti of various sizes and shapes. Thriving succulents that can live for centuries are contrasted with the dying flowers, collapsing time in an already surreal and fantastical geographic plane.<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition \u201cultimately proposes a space where forms seem to mutate, drift, and slowly colonize their surroundings,\u201d the artist says. \u201cEach piece functions as the trace of an unknown landscape, a fragment of an expanding world where ideas disperse, float, and find new ways to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Lost Landing<\/em> is on view through June 27. Explore more of Mata\u2019s works on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alexismataaaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-7.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cLa Noche De Los Cactus Voladores\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 120 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cLa Noche De Los Cactus Voladores\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 120 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cLa Noche De Los Cactus Voladores\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 120 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-7.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474846\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cLa Noche De Los Cactus Voladores\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 120 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-3.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cCactus From The World Of Delight\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 80 \u00d7 80 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cCactus From The World Of Delight\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 80 \u00d7 80 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cCactus From The World Of Delight\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 80 \u00d7 80 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1404\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-3.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474842\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cCactus From The World Of Delight\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 80 \u00d7 80 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-4.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cPurple Night\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 100 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cPurple Night\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 100 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cPurple Night\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 100 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"955\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-4.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474843\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cPurple Night\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 160 \u00d7 100 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-5.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cGarden Of Crystals And Dandelions\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cGarden Of Crystals And Dandelions\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cGarden Of Crystals And Dandelions\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1277\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-5.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with seeded dandelions and glitched patches by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474844\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cGarden Of Crystals And Dandelions\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cLion\u2019s Teeth Growing Among Quartz\u201d (2026), watercolor and wash on cotton paper, 49 \u00d7 53 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cLion\u2019s Teeth Growing Among Quartz\u201d (2026), watercolor and wash on cotton paper, 49 \u00d7 53 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cLion\u2019s Teeth Growing Among Quartz\u201d (2026), watercolor and wash on cotton paper, 49 \u00d7 53 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1399\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-2.jpeg\" alt=\"a lush, vibrant landscape with glitched patches and seeded dandelions by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474841\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cLion\u2019s Teeth Growing Among Quartz\u201d (2026), watercolor and wash on cotton paper, 49 \u00d7 53 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-1.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474759\" title=\"\u201cCrows In The Cave\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 100 \u00d7 110 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cCrows In The Cave\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 100 \u00d7 110 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cCrows In The Cave\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 100 \u00d7 110 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1355\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mata-1.jpeg\" alt=\"two crows perch on a glitched still life by Alexis Mata\" class=\"wp-image-474840\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cCrows In The Cave\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 100 \u00d7 110 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe Sky Is Falling\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 130 \u00d7 150 centimeters. All images courtesy of Thinkspace, shared with permission Cacti and Clouds Glitch in Alexis Mata\u2019s Fantastical Landscapes June 9, 2026 Art Grace Ebert Share Email Bookmark \u201cThere was a moment when I was walking between forests and mountains in Tepoztl\u00e1n, Mexico, while dandelions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1980786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1980786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980786\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1980786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1980786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1980786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}